Power-transmission chain



Jan. 19, 1926.

F. MULLER POWER TBANSIIISSIOI! CHAIN Filed August 9, 1922 INVENTOR.

BY ya, fizzy/z! Patented Jan. 19 1926..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRIEDERICH MULLER, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR. TO THE WHITNEY MFG. 00., OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

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Application-filed August 9, 1922. Serial No. 580,709.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, Fnmnnmcn MfiLLnR,

a citizen or the United States, residing at Hartford. in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Power Transmission Chains, of which the following is a specification. F

My invention relates to improvements in power transmission chains and particularly to that character or type of chain which embodies. a plurality of overlapping links pivotally connected at their overlapping portions, the teeth onwhich areadapted to cooperate (with teeth 01f driving, and driven gears; and it consists of certain novel parts I and combinations of parts particularly pointed out in the claims concluding these specifications.

Thefollowing is a description of my invention embodied in forms atpresent preferred by me, but it will be understood that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention and without exceeding the scopeof my claims,

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is an elevation, partly in section, of a gear and a chain embodying my invention; .Fig. 80 2 is a section om the line 2-2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a similar section of a modified form of the invention and Fig. 4. is an elevation of the bushing shown in Fig. 3.

Referrin to ,the drawings, 4 is a gear, in 36 this case assumed to be a driving gear moving in the'direction shown by" the arrow,-

which gearis provided with teeth 5, 5. The chain shown comprises a plurality of links 6, 6, each link being provided with teeth 7, '7, adapted to engage with the teeth on the gear. 8, 8 are pivots on which the links are mounted, as shown in elevation in Fig. 2. 9, 9, Fig. 2, are end plates and 10, 10 are heads on the pivot 8. p 4 the chain above described is well-known and need not be described more in detailswIndeed, my present invention is applicable to all chains of this'g'eneral' type and is not confined to the details here shown. l0 Beferring' to Figure 3, the links 7 7 and he construction of the end pieces 9, 9 are mounted on a flexible member composed of a tubular helix of suitable metal, the ends of the heads being-extended at 13, 13 over the outer faces of the end pieces, whereby the links are retained implaee. This flexible member endows the chain with a certain amount of flexibility so that the teeth ma more perfectly accommodate themselves ti) the'teeth of the gear.

Figure2 shows a modification where a ycentralpin is' employed with heads 10, 10

engaging with the end pieces 9, 9. In this embodiment of my invention. the flexible tubular member (shown in elevation in Figure l) constitutes a bushing which is preferably adapted to freely rotate onthe pin and on which the links are adapted "to freely turn.

Besides, in the manufacture of a tubular bushing of considerable length-by drilling it is very difiicult to make it uniform and true with 1.tS aperture concentric. toits periphery throughout its entire length, whereas a bush- "i'ng made up of spirally wound metal may readily be-made true with the aperture 0on centric with its periphery throughout itsentire length.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is I 1. A power transmission chain com rising links arranged in overlapping relation and a flexible member in the form of a single flat helix on which said links are mounted. 2. A powertransmission chain comprising links arranged in overlapping relation and a member on which the hnks are mountedand by which they are held together said member being a single flat helix flexible in the longitudinal direction of the chain.

3. A power transmission chain comprising links arranged in overlapping relation and a flexible member in the form of a single flat helix on which said links are mounted and by which they are held together.

4. A power transmission chain comprising links arranged in overla ping relation and a flexible member in the orm of a single flat helix on which said links are mounted, having expanded ends'by which the links are held together. 1

FRIEDERICH MULLER. 

